Chapter 1938: U: Beyond the Great Event (64) [1938-1

"I think he must have seen something in that office. Do you remember? When that Batman went to the restroom, he kept looking at the documents in the drawer. Could it be that something was recorded on them?"

"But that's a psychiatric hospital. What does it have to do with the so-called town of Lodesan and the Italian city of Ragusa?"

"In Sicily, there is a legend that the city of Ragusa was built on the third vertebra of a demon, which is why it produces all kinds of criminals."

Constantine blew a smoke ring and said in a slightly weary tone, "When I was traveling in Europe, I met a Mafia member there. He said the founder of Ragusa was once harassed by demons. To suppress the demons about to crawl up from hell, he built the Old City."

"The Old City is like an awl driven deep into the demon's spine, pinning it to the ground so it can never stand up." Constantine squinted, recalling, "And the locals have a legend that if you keep digging down along the ruins of the Old City, you can pass through the demon's brainstem and eye sockets straight to the furnace of hell."

"Wait," Spider-Man suddenly interrupted Constantine and said, "Do you remember what that fable Schiller mentioned was? 'He who is born of fire shall be destroyed by fire.'"

"Is there really a hell in this world?" Lord Superman was clearly skeptical. He said, "I've searched the entire Earth and haven't seen any demons or angels."

"Because they aren't on Earth. The Limbo I reside in isn't either, at least not reachable by ordinary means. If they shut you out, you will never find them."

Constantine recalled further and said, "I haven't heard of any necklace in Ragusa, but I know that in similar Old City ruins, one or two treasures from the past are always left behind."

"The archmages of that time had real power. They maintained a delicate balance with demons and angels, and they would leave blessings and curses within objects."

"As time passed and the heritage was lost, later generations treated these objects that could trigger magical effects as holy relics, believing they could grant people great power."

"But in fact, the powerful strength of the ancient mages came from their strong willpower to never bow to demons or angels. Objects are ultimately external things, but modern mages don't understand this."

"This has also led to many tragedies. Ninety percent of the people I've known who found ancient treasures couldn't withstand the backlash of the objects' curses, eventually leading to dire consequences."

"I think we can sort this out from the beginning." Spider-Man was still used to recounting things in chronological order. He said, "Schiller said on the bus earlier that this whole game should have a main storyline. I don't think that's baseless; he might have found some clues."

"Among these games, the places where clues are most likely to be found are the Neihlet Manor and that nameless psychiatric hospital. Remember the demon in Neihlet Manor? He had the ability to control fire. Could this be related to the prophecy Schiller mentioned?"

"The Neihlet family has too many secrets." Constantine sighed softly and said, "The biggest suspicious point among them is Hancock. In the footage we saw, his background wasn't mentioned at all. Is he really completely unrelated to the killer?"

"Do you remember? In the Neihlet Manor storyline, Mrs. Neihlet's maiden family, the Plossi family, was burned clean in a single night. Mr. Plossi said it was Mr. Neihlet who sent people to do it."

"But ordinary fire couldn't burn down an entire manor in one night; it would take at least a few days, unless it was the kind of fire controlled by the killer. But since Mr. Neihlet knew his manservant was a fire-wielding killer, how could he dare to keep him in the house?"

"I think that Hancock and the killer are in cahoots," Spider-Man said. "Back then, it was he who sent the killer to burn down Mrs. Neihlet's maiden home."

Spider-Man rested his chin on his finger and thought as he spoke, "Following this line of thought, combined with what Schiller said, could that manservant be the child of a cultist?"

"The manservant's father obtained a cursed necklace in the Old City of Ragusa, Italy. The necklace contained the power of the demon suppressed beneath the Old City."

"His father brought the necklace back to the United States. To activate the power within the necklace, he blood-sacrificed a town called Lodesan, making it disappear into thin air."

"And the sister Schiller mentioned should have played an important role. Perhaps she was the manservant's mother. After the cultist arrived in the town, he abducted a girl and got her pregnant, then sacrificed the entire town, letting the necklace's power descend upon the unborn child."

"Later, Hancock discovered this child, noticed the abnormalities in him, and sent him to the Neihlet family to help himself seize the family's property."

Lord Superman nodded and said, "It is indeed possible. Throughout the entire game at Neihlet Manor, we didn't see anyone investigating the manor, but that is actually the most abnormal thing, because no matter which Batman it is, they prefer to actively search for clues."

At this moment, Bruce, who hadn't spoken for a long time, sighed and said, "Believe it or not, this whole story is just something Schiller made up on the spot."

The others looked at him. Spider-Man was even more puzzled and said, "That's impossible, right? To make up a story, you at least need a blueprint. How could he invent a story with plot, logic, and various details in just a few seconds?"

"Other Schillers might not, but this Dr. Schiller is very proficient in this." Bruce sighed deeply and said, "Because his therapy is billed by the hour, and his fees are shockingly expensive."

"Does that have anything to do with it?" Lord Superman was also a bit confused. He said, "What does the cost of the fee have to do with whether he can make up a story?"

"If you were psychiatrists, you would often encounter a type of patient who, upon arriving at the clinic, doesn't pour out their secrets or release their stress, but instead desperately pries into the psychiatrist's past."

"Even ordinary people feel safe and comfortable when they have a certain understanding of the other party in a conversation, making it easier to open up."

"Some people have more severe symptoms of this kind. They gain pleasure from learning others' secrets, which gives them a sense of security that everything is under control. Such people will become anxious when they arrive in an environment where they know nothing about the people around them, and the same happens when starting a new relationship with a stranger."

"So, when they come to see a psychiatrist for anxiety issues, they will go even further to pry into the other person's secrets. And if you become more defensive or react excessively, the therapy will likely be unable to proceed."

"Psychiatrists are human too, and they have their own needs for keeping secrets. In most cases, if a patient acts too aggressively, the psychiatrist will choose to refer the patient, but Dr. Schiller is different."

Bruce sighed deeply and said, "He would absolutely never let go of the consultation fee he has in his hands. He values money over his life."

"So, he developed a skill: he can invent a backstory with a beginning and an end, an exciting plot, clear logic, and many details that correspond to reality within three seconds, and then gradually reveal it to them under the patient's questioning."

"This story is often very complex, with many characters of different identities. They have their own backstories and intersect with each other, and even the relationships and corresponding emotions between them are very realistic."

"Usually, this story also involves the old grudges of several generations, with footprints spanning the New World and the Old World, and it often contains many theological and philosophical metaphors, occasionally involving some occultism."

"Wait," Spider-Man interrupted Bruce and said, "Why design such a complex backstory? Wouldn't making a simpler one, which the patient could understand just by asking a few questions, make them feel safe faster, thereby starting the therapy?"

"That's the point. I said, Schiller's therapy is billed by the hour, and the fees are very expensive."

"How expensive?"

"Two million dollars an hour, with no upper limit."

"Hiss—"

The sound of people gasping in succession appeared in the screening room. Bruce spread his hands helplessly and said, "Don't ask me how I know. For a while, I was very interested in Schiller's background and used this doctor's personality as a breakthrough."

"I only stayed in his room for about 30 minutes, and after I came out, I received a bill for one million dollars."

"Then did you find out his background?"

"I found out a new story."

The others all slapped their foreheads in unison.

"Obviously, the more complex the story, the longer it drags on. The more exciting the story, the easier it is to arouse curiosity." Bruce shrugged lightly and said, "And as long as people have a certain understanding of Schiller and catch a glimpse of his talent, they will definitely want to know what exactly shaped him."

At this moment, Arthur, who had never spoken, also turned to look at Bruce. He seemed somewhat curious about the answer too.

"It was Schiller who shaped Schiller." Bruce gave an answer that didn't surprise everyone. He said, "His background, upbringing, the people and things he encountered, and the suffering he endured are not the main reasons he became who he is today. He became this way because he wanted to become this way."

"People's curiosity about a person's past is essentially a form of arrogance and conceit," Constantine said. "He is different from most people, so it must be because he has a more different past."

"People think that what I want must be the best. And if someone has the ability to get what they want but discards it like a worn-out shoe and chooses to walk another path, they think he must have been stimulated by something, that there must be some unknown reason."

"So what they produce is not just curiosity, but also jealousy. By prying into the freak's past and learning about the suffering they might have endured, they confirm their own thoughts and prove that the masses are right through the freak's helplessness."

"Perhaps." Bruce shook his head lightly and said, "I don't rule out that Schiller might have indeed obtained some clues at Neihlet Manor and the psychiatric hospital, but this story is highly likely to be nonsense."

"But why would he do that?" Spider-Man still didn't understand. "Dr. Schiller should know that this room shouldn't be stayed in for long. Even if he deleted the part about making up stories, he should have other ways to achieve his goal."

"Yes." Unexpectedly, Bruce admitted it directly, and then he sighed again and said, "But this Schiller is different. If he were a fox, he wouldn't rush into the chicken coop because he was hungry; he would do it because he wanted to see the chickens fly and the dogs jump."

"Or rather, the chaos in the chicken coop, the madness of the watchdog, and the anger of the chicken coop owner are the spiritual food he truly needs. For this, he doesn't even fear the shotgun."